LA Confidential

Officer Bud White (Russell Crowe,) Sergent Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey,) and Sergent Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) with Captain Dudley Smith (James Cromwell) are caught up in the vacuum created by the arrest of the crime boss of Los Angeles Mickey Cohen. The Hollywood Precinct's officers, including Officer White and Sergents Vincennes, incite a prisoner riot in retribution for an attack on a pair of their own. In exchange for snitching on the lot of them, Exley is promoted and therefore hated by the department, ignored by Vincennes and loathed by White. After a robbery-homicide, all three are assigned to work the case and each work it with their own style leading to a ring of corruption, murder and the strong arm of the law.

In typical noir/detective fashion, this film plays complete with femme fatale, Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger.) corrupt cops, murder and seduction with a splash of romance and vibrant colors mixed with hard-edged lighting and heavy punches. With the smooth jazz of the 40's and 50's and a story just as smooth as the fortunes of our three cops change dramatically throughout the dance that is the plot. As each story plays, our three protagonists go deeper into the seedy underbelly of the LAPD, the case unravels and our three detectives find themselves needing each other for closure in the whole matter.

Cadence is an important tool in storytelling. The pace and rhythm the action takes helps make the audience attentive and makes the film attractive. We never go to the movies to be bored. Edgar Allen Poe, my favorite poet, said that a story should be capable of being read in a single sitting, should be simple enough to last the time frame needed, and be interesting enough to keep us from becoming restless or inattentive. Motifs are important tools to assist the flow of the cadence; for instance, the connections between each aspect of the case interweave the interests of each police officer in this story, keeping them tethered to the story, heightening the suspense, action and emotion necessary to complete the journey. And this film's cadence is so effective, I'm unable to sense the duration of the story, which is roughly 2.5 hours.

The texture of LA Confidential is smoky, seductive and twisted leaving a pit in your stomach telling you something is definitely off, propelling you to connect and complete the story. The cast presents a flawless performance, from Cromwell's disturbing and creepy Captian Smith to Basinger's savvy, smoky and sensitive Bracken. I enjoyed the chemistry between our three Protagonists in their distaste for each other and in their teamwork toward the end. And I loved the conflict between the two sides of each of them: Bud Whites tough and warm nature, Jack Vincennes vanity and compassion and latent naivete and Ed Exley's hard-lined provincialism to hard-lined diplomacy and vindictiveness. Crowe, Spacey and Pearce sold their characters with great effect and so well each that I find it a hard task picking whose story-line is favorable and worthy of my feelings. They blend their on-screen presences with little competition between and serve the plot with a level-footing that allows me to feel for each equally. A rare thing for such a vast cast.

The silver-screen feel past the silver-screen era is a rare find, and LA Confidential has captured the Judy Garland/Bing Crosby feel so well and hit tones harmonizing with the era that defined Humphrey Bogart. This is a beautiful film worthy of the audience it attracts.

***

IN: Kevin Spacey

OUT: Guy Pearce

Coming Soon: Traitor